The exciting world of modern technologies is a constantly evolving one, and if you want your e-commerce business to stand out from the crowd, you need to keep your finger on the pulse.
Due to recent events, the e-commerce market is experiencing a massive surge in sales, but that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. In fact, the opposite is true. With more and more e-commerce sites popping up daily, you need to use every trick and technique available to you to ensure you maximize your visibility online and engage with potential customers in the most effective way.
Fortunately, many new advances in technology can help you do this, whilst simultaneously saving you both time and money.
Are you interested to know more?
Keep reading to find out seven technology trends for 2021 and beyond that, your e-commerce business needs to know about.
#1. eWallet
If you are not yet enabling your customers to use eWallet functionality, also known as a mobile wallet, then this is the first change you should be made to the way your e-commerce business operates.
Digital payments amounted to a whopping $3.04 trillion in 2017 and are set to double in the next four years. Therefore, if you are not allowing your customers to pay digitally, you are missing out on some serious cash.
Plus, as well as increasing your conversion rate, eWallet usage also makes your customers feel safer when using your site and offers more convenience.
#2. eCommerce CRM
Nowadays, customers want a fully integrated shopping experience which is why you need to ensure that all your sales channels are working together. You need to make sure that you are offering a streamlined and cohesive experience across the board, from your website to your social media platforms, your chatbots, to your email campaigns.
If this sounds like a lot of hard work, you will be pleased to hear that an e-commerce CRM software system can do all this for you. CRM, which stands for customer relationship management, is a nifty piece of software that provides a central location for all your customer data so that you can optimize every step of your customer’s journey.
#3. BigCommerce apps
BigCommerce is an open SaaS product, ‘software as a service’, allowing you to set up an online store easily and sell your products on the web. So far, so good. However, to really make the most of BigCommerce, you need to take a look at their impressive collection of marketing apps. With free and paid options, you can find apps to help with customer service, the analysis of data, social media engagement, marketing, store maintenance, and so much more.
Whether you want to grow your e-commerce business globally, focus on local sales or enhance your shoppers’ experience, you can find the perfect BigCommerce app for your business.
#4. Gamification
Who says that shopping online should be a chore? The rise of gamification has resulted in shoppers spending an increased amount of time on a website or social media channel through the use of fun and interactive online games. For example, spin-to-win opportunities, tiered loyalty programs, and promotional competitions.
Gamification provides a highly effective way to mimic the experience of a physical store as you are able to actively engage and interact with your customers and inject some of your brand personality into their overall shopping experience.
When it comes to gamification, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative as you want to ensure your offerings stand out from the crowd.
#5. Chatbots
Although nearly all businesses are using live chat on their websites to enhance their customer support offerings, chatbots can help to make this process even quicker and cheaper. A chatbot is a computer program that simulates a human conversation through the use of artificial intelligence.
One of the main advantages of this tech is that you can respond to your customer queries around the clock. Plus, one chatbot can respond to an infinite number of questions at any one time.
Chatbots can also provide your business with valuable data, such as your customers’ shopping preferences so that you can create a more personalized experience for them.
#6. Voice search
By 2024, global smart speaker sales are expected to surpass $30 billion, with these highly sought-after products becoming one of the best-selling consumer electronics. Furthermore, 65% of 25-49 year old’s speak to their voice-enabled device at least once a day.
What does this mean for your e-commerce business? To put it simply, if you are not optimizing your website for voice search, you are seriously missing a trick.
There are several voice search strategies that you can adopt to ensure you are reaching voice searchers, including implementing a solid SEO strategy, including review videos on your site, and building brand affinity with informational posts.
#7. Live Streaming
Live streaming, such as live shopping events, has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the combination of more people having smartphones and having more time to spend on social media.
As an e-commerce retailer, you can tap into this tech trend by posting live streaming videos in which influencers talk about your product or service, and viewers can buy said product or service via social media at a discounted price.
This technique is particularly effective for businesses that are looking to reach and engage with Generation Z.
Conclusion
If you are still not convinced that you need to embrace the above technological innovations for your e-commerce site, why not take a closer look at what your competitors are doing?
Whether they are utilizing one or several of the above, if you want to gain an advantage this year and beyond, you need to be willing to move with the times and offer services that they do not.
Start planning your new e-commerce strategy today and become the dominant e-commerce brand you deserve to be and enjoy huge success in the online sector.
